Part Fifteen
Beka gently rubbed Harpers back till his coughs subsided. His face had gone pale again and he held his ribs with his right arm. It was only then that Beka noticed how his left arm was hanging uselessly by his side. She took his wrist gently and he hissed in pain,
"Ah boss what are you doing?"
"Why didn't you tell me about your wrist?" she asked, it was swollen but by the feel of it the nano-botts had repaired most of the damage.
Harper gave her a sheepish grin, "Would you believe that it's not that bad?"
Beka rolled her eyes. "Tyr do you have anything we can bandage this with?" She held his wrist gently, turning to the Neitzschen.
Tyr thought for a moment and ripped off part of his shirt, passing it wordlessly to the captain. Beka took it with a smile and tightly bandaged Harpers arm, ignoring his weak protest.
When she was done Tyr said, "Lets get the boy's cousin"
The trio slowly moved down the corridor, Harper held back his cough as he heard footsteps. Tyr raised his weapon quickly so it was pointing level with the head of the Dragon that walked round the corner. The Neitzschen froze when he saw Tyr and his eyes darted to Harper and Beka, weighing his options up. While the guard was staring at Beka and Harper Tyr pulled out his knife again and thrust it upward into the Neitzschen's chest and as he collapsed and tried to cry out Tyr slit his throat, silencing him.
Harper watched wide eyed as Tyr cut down the guard, the Kodiak's face stayed neutral but the engineer swore he could see enjoyment in his eyes. Harper shivered as Tyr wiped the blood off his knife, onto the dead guards front. Seeing the human's watching him Tyr said to Harper
"You're not alone in your hate for this pride."
Harper opened his mouth to comment but closed it again, simply nodding. He led them down the corridors; Harper could feel Beka's breath against his hair as she stood protectively near him.
"Do they know you're here?" Beka asked in a whisper.
Tyr nodded "They sent nine guards after me."
"And how many of that nine are left" Beka asked
"Eight" Tyr muttered
"That's a bit below your normal standard isn't it?" Harper asked receiving a smile from Beka.
Tyr ignored the comment and gently pushed the engineer down the corridor, hiding his own smile. "Get a move on professor"
Harper froze at the nickname, Lane echoed in his ears but then he smiled "You don't know how good it is to hear YOU say that."
Again Tyr was slightly confused but simply rolled his eyes. Reaching the cells that passed as the human's rooms Harper paused at the lock.
"I don't suppose either of you brought me an interface wire."
Harper asked. He could get in without one but it would take longer.
Tyr reached into one of the compartments on his belt and pulled out the said wire.
Harper grinned but then the grinning hurt his jaw, "Ow"
Before he could slip the connecter into his neck Beka stopped him.
"Are you okay to do this?"
She knew how draining the data port sometimes was on him and when his was in this condition…
FLASHBACK
Harper groaned and rolled over on the bed, his pale face looked brighter under the lights in the Maru. Beka pushed her silver hair behind her ears and gently dapped Harpers face with a cloth. The engineer moaned again and forced his eyes open to see Beka. He blinked at her, not realising at first who she was or where he was. Finally it clicked and he tried to give he a smile
"Hey boss."
Beka scowled at him, forcing herself to remember that she was still mad at the young human. "Don't you 'hey boss' me"
Harper frowned, his head thumbing as he tried to remember what had happened for Beka to be mad at him.
"What did I do?"
"I think you know what you did Seamus Zealzny Harper" Beka again had to force he anger. Harper had been with her on the ship for over a year now but she couldn't stay mad at him, especially when he was sick.
"Look Beka, I really don't remember the good-time to go with this headache or what I did so if you could enlighten me…"
Beka sighed "What did the Doc say to you when you got that thing"
She pointed to the new data port behind his right ear and Harper thought quickly to give her an answer
"Er…Don't eat yellow snow?"
This time the scowl was real, as she supplied "Don't over use it for move then 15 hours at a time"
Harper gave her a blank expression "So?"
"Maru how long was Harper interfaced with you for?" Beka asked the ship.
"17 hours, 43 minutes and 6.82 seconds"
"Erm…opp's"
Beka rolled her eyes at him. "Just be careful next time okay?"
Harper smiled and gently touched his new port. "Okay. I promise not to go in for that long again."
Beka smiled, relieved that he was okay. "Good, now get some rest, you look like death warmed up."
END OF FLASHBACK
Harper tried to give her a reassuring smile, though the effect didn't work with his bruised jaw and the dried blood staining his dirty blond hair, from a cut that had now healed.
"Don't worry Bek" he muttered, and slid the jack into his neck, wincing as he did so. With the other part of the wire he slid in into the lock, closing his eyes briefly and the door opened. Pulling out the jack Harper turned back to the others quickly.
"You better wait here"
Entering the cell again Harper let his eyes adjust to the gloom before he scanned the shadows for his cousin.
He saw her sitting against a wall, her knees pulled up to her chest. He quickly moved over to her and gave her a huge grin.
"Hey"
Cathy's eyes widened in surprise and grinned, jumping to her feet and pulling him into a hug. Harper bit is tongue to stop himself crying out in pain.
"What happened?" Cathy asked
"I'll explain later" he said taking her over to the door, as they left and the door shut behind them Harper forced himself not to think about the others still in the cell. Suddenly Cathy froze and backed into his chest.
"Uber…"
Harper held her protectively and said, "No it's okay, and he's one of the good guys in a manner of speaking"
Tyr lowered his weapon and tried to look harmless. "I am Tyr Anasazi"
The young girl still didn't look like she believed him. Wordlessly Tyr passed her a weapon, the barrel pointing down. Cathy took the weapon and held it almost by her fingertips, staring at Tyr confused.
"And this is Beka" Harper introduced quickly.
Cathy looked at the woman, taking in her still black hair and her tight revealing top.
Beka gave her a smile, "Sorry about the outfit, I was travelling in disguise"
Quickly the captain activated her nano-botts changing back to her normal blond. Cathy's eyes lit up.
"That's cool, can you do purple?"
Harper smiled as Beka laughed and said, "When we get outta here I can get some for your hair."
"This is very lovely" Tyr interrupted "I must get you to paint my nails, now can we focus. We need to get back to the ship"
Harper scowled at the Neitzschen as Cathy flinched and moved closer to Beka and himself.
"I don't want to go with his Shay" Cathy said, gripping her gun, though she had never fried one before. "He's a Neitzschen, he's one of them"
"Cati trust me, he's here to help us, we'll get back to the ship and we can get out of here."
Cathy hesitated, eyes darting between her cousin and Tyr. Finally she nodded, "Okay which way?"
Beka gently rubbed Harpers back till his coughs subsided. His face had gone pale again and he held his ribs with his right arm. It was only then that Beka noticed how his left arm was hanging uselessly by his side. She took his wrist gently and he hissed in pain,
"Ah boss what are you doing?"
"Why didn't you tell me about your wrist?" she asked, it was swollen but by the feel of it the nano-botts had repaired most of the damage.
Harper gave her a sheepish grin, "Would you believe that it's not that bad?"
Beka rolled her eyes. "Tyr do you have anything we can bandage this with?" She held his wrist gently, turning to the Neitzschen.
Tyr thought for a moment and ripped off part of his shirt, passing it wordlessly to the captain. Beka took it with a smile and tightly bandaged Harpers arm, ignoring his weak protest.
When she was done Tyr said, "Lets get the boy's cousin"
The trio slowly moved down the corridor, Harper held back his cough as he heard footsteps. Tyr raised his weapon quickly so it was pointing level with the head of the Dragon that walked round the corner. The Neitzschen froze when he saw Tyr and his eyes darted to Harper and Beka, weighing his options up. While the guard was staring at Beka and Harper Tyr pulled out his knife again and thrust it upward into the Neitzschen's chest and as he collapsed and tried to cry out Tyr slit his throat, silencing him.
Harper watched wide eyed as Tyr cut down the guard, the Kodiak's face stayed neutral but the engineer swore he could see enjoyment in his eyes. Harper shivered as Tyr wiped the blood off his knife, onto the dead guards front. Seeing the human's watching him Tyr said to Harper
"You're not alone in your hate for this pride."
Harper opened his mouth to comment but closed it again, simply nodding. He led them down the corridors; Harper could feel Beka's breath against his hair as she stood protectively near him.
"Do they know you're here?" Beka asked in a whisper.
Tyr nodded "They sent nine guards after me."
"And how many of that nine are left" Beka asked
"Eight" Tyr muttered
"That's a bit below your normal standard isn't it?" Harper asked receiving a smile from Beka.
Tyr ignored the comment and gently pushed the engineer down the corridor, hiding his own smile. "Get a move on professor"
Harper froze at the nickname, Lane echoed in his ears but then he smiled "You don't know how good it is to hear YOU say that."
Again Tyr was slightly confused but simply rolled his eyes. Reaching the cells that passed as the human's rooms Harper paused at the lock.
"I don't suppose either of you brought me an interface wire."
Harper asked. He could get in without one but it would take longer.
Tyr reached into one of the compartments on his belt and pulled out the said wire.
Harper grinned but then the grinning hurt his jaw, "Ow"
Before he could slip the connecter into his neck Beka stopped him.
"Are you okay to do this?"
She knew how draining the data port sometimes was on him and when his was in this condition…
FLASHBACK
Harper groaned and rolled over on the bed, his pale face looked brighter under the lights in the Maru. Beka pushed her silver hair behind her ears and gently dapped Harpers face with a cloth. The engineer moaned again and forced his eyes open to see Beka. He blinked at her, not realising at first who she was or where he was. Finally it clicked and he tried to give he a smile
"Hey boss."
Beka scowled at him, forcing herself to remember that she was still mad at the young human. "Don't you 'hey boss' me"
Harper frowned, his head thumbing as he tried to remember what had happened for Beka to be mad at him.
"What did I do?"
"I think you know what you did Seamus Zealzny Harper" Beka again had to force he anger. Harper had been with her on the ship for over a year now but she couldn't stay mad at him, especially when he was sick.
"Look Beka, I really don't remember the good-time to go with this headache or what I did so if you could enlighten me…"
Beka sighed "What did the Doc say to you when you got that thing"
She pointed to the new data port behind his right ear and Harper thought quickly to give her an answer
"Er…Don't eat yellow snow?"
This time the scowl was real, as she supplied "Don't over use it for move then 15 hours at a time"
Harper gave her a blank expression "So?"
"Maru how long was Harper interfaced with you for?" Beka asked the ship.
"17 hours, 43 minutes and 6.82 seconds"
"Erm…opp's"
Beka rolled her eyes at him. "Just be careful next time okay?"
Harper smiled and gently touched his new port. "Okay. I promise not to go in for that long again."
Beka smiled, relieved that he was okay. "Good, now get some rest, you look like death warmed up."
END OF FLASHBACK
Harper tried to give her a reassuring smile, though the effect didn't work with his bruised jaw and the dried blood staining his dirty blond hair, from a cut that had now healed.
"Don't worry Bek" he muttered, and slid the jack into his neck, wincing as he did so. With the other part of the wire he slid in into the lock, closing his eyes briefly and the door opened. Pulling out the jack Harper turned back to the others quickly.
"You better wait here"
Entering the cell again Harper let his eyes adjust to the gloom before he scanned the shadows for his cousin.
He saw her sitting against a wall, her knees pulled up to her chest. He quickly moved over to her and gave her a huge grin.
"Hey"
Cathy's eyes widened in surprise and grinned, jumping to her feet and pulling him into a hug. Harper bit is tongue to stop himself crying out in pain.
"What happened?" Cathy asked
"I'll explain later" he said taking her over to the door, as they left and the door shut behind them Harper forced himself not to think about the others still in the cell. Suddenly Cathy froze and backed into his chest.
"Uber…"
Harper held her protectively and said, "No it's okay, and he's one of the good guys in a manner of speaking"
Tyr lowered his weapon and tried to look harmless. "I am Tyr Anasazi"
The young girl still didn't look like she believed him. Wordlessly Tyr passed her a weapon, the barrel pointing down. Cathy took the weapon and held it almost by her fingertips, staring at Tyr confused.
"And this is Beka" Harper introduced quickly.
Cathy looked at the woman, taking in her still black hair and her tight revealing top.
Beka gave her a smile, "Sorry about the outfit, I was travelling in disguise"
Quickly the captain activated her nano-botts changing back to her normal blond. Cathy's eyes lit up.
"That's cool, can you do purple?"
Harper smiled as Beka laughed and said, "When we get outta here I can get some for your hair."
"This is very lovely" Tyr interrupted "I must get you to paint my nails, now can we focus. We need to get back to the ship"
Harper scowled at the Neitzschen as Cathy flinched and moved closer to Beka and himself.
"I don't want to go with his Shay" Cathy said, gripping her gun, though she had never fried one before. "He's a Neitzschen, he's one of them"
"Cati trust me, he's here to help us, we'll get back to the ship and we can get out of here."
Cathy hesitated, eyes darting between her cousin and Tyr. Finally she nodded, "Okay which way?"